At Grace Baptist, we believe all members are ministers of the Church.
Church Staff
Rev. Dr. Courtney Allen Crump, Senior Pastor
Dr. Rev. Courtney Allen Crump serves as senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church, a unique community of God’s people practicing authentic welcome in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to being called in July 2015 to serve as Grace’s 21st pastor and second female senior pastor in the church’s 190-plus year history, Courtney served as Minister of Community Ministry and Missions at First Baptist Church of Dalton, Georgia. She’s a native Mississippian, and she’s been shaped by serving in the Mississippi Delta and as Katrina Rebuilding Coordinator for several years after Hurricane Katrina. Her experiences in the aftermath of Katrina helped her articulate a call to ministry, which then led her to the Wake Forest University School of Divinity where she received a Master of Divinity. Courtney is passionate about connecting the gifts of God’s people to the assets of the surrounding community for the sake of God’s good in the world.
She’s a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received a Doctor of Ministry in congregational development focusing on vital practices for recognizing abundance and cultivating generosity in the 21st century church. When not doing church, Courtney enjoys gardening, cooking, and most anything outside, especially near the James River. Courtney is married to Josh, a city planner, and they have a toddler, Kennedy.
Rev. Chris Crowley, Minister of Music
Rev. Chris Crowley, Minister of Music, is a huge fan of how Grace embraces blending old and new, showing how perhaps new wine hymn texts actually can be used with old hymn tune wineskins. He also loves how Grace values heterodoxy over orthodoxy, that is the understanding that there are many ways to be "correct." His favorite music lyrics come from the beginning of Leonard Bernstein's Simple Song, "Sing God a simple song, lauda laude. Make it up as you go along," and the end of Isaac Watts' My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, "No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home." Chris appreciates any hymn that encourages the singer to be the best, most just, version of themselves, and any hymn that helps the singer to understand God in a new way.
Rev. Crowley is a proud alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University (Bachelor of Music Education, 2006), Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (2015-2018), and John Leland Center for Theological Studies (Master of Divinity, 2020). While at BTSR, he was awarded both the John Grover Scales award for Preaching, as well as the Deborah Carlton Loftis award for Music Ministry. He was also named a 2019 Fellow of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. After finishing his studies at Leland, Chris was ordained by Chamberlayne Baptist Church in 2021, where he served as Music Minister from 2015 until the Church's closing in 2021. Prior to being called to Chamberlayne, Chris was a soloist and section leader at Seventh Street Christian Church since 2003.
Chris is the "junior pastor" of the house, alongside his wife, Reverend Kim Crowley, who was ordained by Grace Baptist in 2010. Together they have three children, Erica (9), Savannah (2), and newborn, David. They live in the Westover Hills neighborhood with their dogs Iris and Chance. Chris works full time for Colonial Scientific, specializing in medical and educational laboratory sales. In the few hours Chris doesn't spend working or parenting, he might be seen cheering on the VCU Rams or watching Star Trek.
Victoria Riddle, Communications Specialist
Victoria Riddle was born and raised in New Jersey, but came down to Virginia for college. While there, she met her husband, where they now reside in Staunton, VA. She got her bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing, which has aided in her helping multiple churches and non-profits over the last 5 years with their marketing and communications. Victoria serves as Grace’s Communications Specialist, where she helps in spreading the word about all that Grace is doing among it’s members and the greater community. Outside of work, Victoria loves spending time with her family and anything creative. She loves that she is able to use her creativity to further the work on the church in areas such as social media, emails, and website design.
Tom Preston, AV Operator
Tom Preston is an audio and video technician from Butler, Pennsylvania and live stream operator for Grace Baptist Church. Tom studied Music Production and Recording Technology at Shenandoah Conservatory, where he got his undergraduate degree. Tom is passionate about all things music and sees music (and the technology behind it) as a tool to build community and foster relationships between people. When he is not at Grace Baptist, Tom can be found recording at In Your Ear studios, or running sound for the popular local live-streamed music show, Shockoe Sessions Live.
Rev. Lauryn Everic, Associate Pastor
Rev. Lauryn Everic was born and raised in the Richmond area and received her M.Div. from George W. Truett Theological Seminary. While she has a background in Children’s and Youth Ministry, nonprofit work, and hospital chaplaincy, she finds the most joy in building authentic relationships and finding new and creative ways to worship meaningfully. Lauryn feels the most inspired when she is painting, dancing, enjoying the outdoors, and finding innovative ways to incorporate the arts into worship. Outside of church, she is likely spending time with family or in the middle of a good story while curled up with her cat, Ollie, and a cup of tea.
Dr. Theresa Steward, Church Administrator, Pianist/Organist, Director of Grace Concert Series
Dr. Theresa Steward serves as Pianist/Organist and Church Administrator at Grace Baptist Church of Richmond. She also is the Founding Director of the Grace Concert Series, a non-profit series which offers free performances to the public while collecting donations to benefit non-profit organizations and charitable causes to help those in need in the Greater Richmond community.
With undergraduate degrees in music and architecture degrees from the University of Virginia and graduate degrees in musicology from the University of Edinburgh (UK), Theresa’s academic work has focused on Iranian popular music studies, but more recently, she finds herself writing about her spiritual journey as a Muslim working in a Baptist church.
In addition to her performance and musicological work, Theresa is a creative visual artist as well as a certified mind-body instructor. Her passions are many, but mostly, she aims to create a greater awareness of global music cultures through her musicological work, and she strives to craft powerful and prayerful moments of joy and gratitude, peace and reflection, through music performance, visual art, and the practice of mindfulness.
Omar Catedral, Sexton
Coming soon